Piume nel burlesque
Molti costumi del burlesque hanno aggiunte delle piume, che rendono più eclatante, seducente e straordinaria la perfomance della spogliarellista o dell'artista del burlesque che le indossa. Piume, paillettes, crinoline, lustrini, aggeggi, ornamenti e trasparenze varie rendono i vestiti del burlesque assolutamente fuori posto nella vita reale, per non parlare del ventaglio di piume che molte artiste adoperano per copririsi o scoprirsi prima di raggiungere lo stadio del topless fino anche al nudo integrale (che le qualifica come spogliarelliste. Le piume sono una delle caratteristiche esclusive dell'epidermide degli uccelli, ma sono state riscontrate anche nei fossili di dinosauri pteropodi. Sono le strutture intertegumentarie più complesse tra i vertebrati, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. Sono la caratteristica che distingue gli uccelli da altri esseri viventi. Strutture e caratteristiche ]] Feathers are among the most complex integumentary appendages found in vertebrates and are formed in tiny follicles in the epidermis, or outer skin layer, that produce keratin proteins. The β-keratins in feathers, beaks and claws — and the claws, scales and shells of reptiles — are composed of protein strands hydrogen-bonded into β-pleated sheets, which are then further twisted and crosslinked by disulfide bridges into structures even tougher than the α-keratins of mammalian hair, horns and hoof. Classificazione There are two basic types of feather: vaned feathers which cover the exterior of the body, and down feathers which are underneath the vaned feathers. The pennaceous feathers are vaned feathers. Also called contour feathers, pennaceous feathers arise from tracts and cover the entire body. A third rarer type of feather, the filoplume, is hairlike and (if present in a bird; they are entirely absent in ratites ) grows along the fluffy down feathers. In some passerines, filoplumes arise exposed beyond the contour feathers on the neck. The remiges, or flight feathers of the wing, and rectrices, the flight feathers of the tail are the most important feathers for flight. A typical vaned feather features a main shaft, called the rachis. Fused to the rachis are a series of branches, or barbs; the barbs themselves are also branched and form the barbules. These barbules have minute hooks called barbicels for cross-attachment. Down feathers are fluffy because they lack barbicels, so the barbules float free of each other, allowing the down to trap air and provide excellent thermal insulation. At the base of the feather, the rachis expands to form the hollow tubular calamus (or quill) which inserts into a follicle in the skin. The basal part of the calamus is without vanes. This part is embedded within the skin follicle and has an opening at the base (proximal umbilicus) and a small opening on the side (distal umbilicus). Hatchling birds of some species have a special kind of natal down feathers (neossoptiles) which are pushed out when the normal feathers (teleoptiles) emerge. Colorazione (red) and turacoverdin (green, with some structural blue iridescence at lower end) on the wing of Tauraco bannermani Right: carotenoids (red) and melanins (dark) on belly/wings of Ramphocelus bresilius]] I colori delle piume sono dovuti a pigmenti, oppure da strutture microscopiche che possono rifrangere, riflettere oppure disperdere (o un misto di azioni) alcune particolari frequenze della luce percepite dagli umani come colori. Most feather pigments are melanins (brown and beige pheomelanins, black and grey eumelanins) and carotenoids (red, yellow, orange); other pigments occur only in certain taxa – the yellow to red psittacofulvins (found in some parrots) and the red turacin and green turacoverdin (porphyrin pigments found only in turacos). Structural coloration is involved in the production of blue colors, iridescence, most ultraviolet reflectance and in the enhancement of pigmentary colors. Structural iridescence has been reported in fossil feathers dating back 40 million years. White feathers lack pigment and scatter light diffusely; albinism in birds is caused by defective pigment production, though structural coloration will not be affected (as can be seen, for example, in blue-and-white budgerigars). The blues and bright greens of many parrots are produced by constructive interference of light reflecting from different layers of structures in feathers. In the case of green plumage, in addition to yellow, the specific feather structure involved is called by some the Dyck texture. Melanin is often involved in the absorption of light; in combination with a yellow pigment, it produces a dull olive-green. In some birds, feather colors may be created, or altered, by secretions from the uropygial gland, also called the preen gland. The yellow bill colors of many hornbills are produced by such secretions. It has been suggested that there are other color differences that may be visible only in the ultraviolet region, but studies have failed to find evidence. The oil secretion from the uropygial gland may also have an inhibitory effect on feather bacteria. Perhaps most interestingly, the reds, orange and yellow colours of many feathers are caused by various carotenoids. Carotenoid-based pigments might be honest signals of fitness because they are derived from special diets and hence might be difficult to obtain, and/or because carotenoids are required for immune function and hence sexual displays come at the expense of health. Although sexual selection plays a major role in the development of feathers,in particular the color of the feathers it is not the only conclusion available. New studies are suggesting that the unique feathers of birds is also a big on many important aspects of avian behavior, such as the height at which a different species build their nests. Since females are the prime care giver, evolution has helped select females to display of duller colored down so that she may blend into her nesting environment.The position of the nest and whether it has a greater chance of being under predation has exerted constraints onto female bird’s plumage. A species of bird that makes it nest on the ground, opposed to the canopy of the trees, will need to have much duller colors in order not to attract attention to the nest. Since the female is the main care giver in some species of birds, evolution has helped select traits that make her feathers dull and often allow her to blend into the surroundings. The height study found that birds that nest in the canopies of trees often have many more predator attacks due to the brighter color of feathers that the female displays. Another influence of evolution that could play a part in why feathers of birds are so colorful and display so many patterns could be due to that birds developed their bright colors from the vegetation and flowers that thrive around them. Birds develop their bright colors from living around certain colors. Most bird species often blend into their environment, due to some degree of camouflage, so if the species habitat is full of colors and patterns, the species would eventually evolve to blend in to avoid being eaten. Bird’s feathers show a large range of colors, even exceeding the variety of many plants, leaf and flower colors.Stoddard, Mary Caswell, Prom, Richard O. 2011 How colorful are birds? Evolution of the avian plumage color gamut. Behavioral Ecology Vol. 22 issue 5 1042-1052 Parassiti The feather surface is the home for some ectoparasites, notably feather lice (Phthiraptera) and feather mites. Feather lice typically live on a single host and can move only from parents to chicks, between mating birds, and, occasionally, by phoresy. This life history has resulted in most of the parasite species being specific to the host and coevolving with the host, making them of interest in phylogenetic studies. Feather holes are chewing traces of lice (most probably Brueelia spp. lice) on the wing and tail feathers. They were described on barn swallows, and because of easy countability, many evolutionary, ecological, and behavioral publications use them to quantify the intensity of infestation. Interestingly, parasitic cuckoos which grow up in the nests of other species also have host specific feather lice and these seem to be transmitted only after the young cuckoos leave the host nest. Birds maintain their feather condition by bathing in water, dust bathing, and preening. It has been suggested that a peculiar behavior of birds, anting, in which ants are introduced into the plumage, helps to reduce parasites, but no supporting evidence has been found. Human usage Feathers have a number of utilitarian, cultural and religious uses. Utilizzo domestico Feathers are both soft and excellent at trapping heat; thus, they are sometimes used in high-class bedding, especially pillows, blankets, and mattresses. They are also used as filling for winter clothing and outdoor bedding, such as quilted coats and sleeping bags. Goose and eider down have great loft, the ability to expand from a compressed, stored state to trap large amounts of compartmentalized, insulating air. Bird feathers have long been used for fletching arrows. Colorful feathers such as those belonging to pheasants have been used to decorate fishing lures. Feathers of large birds (most often geese) have been and are used to make quill pens. The word pen itself is derived from the Latin penna, meaning feather. The French word plume can mean either feather or pen. Feathers are also valuable in aiding the identification of species in forensic studies, particularly in bird strikes to aircraft. The ratios of hydrogen isotopes in feathers help in determining the geographic origins of birds. Feathers may also be useful in the non-destructive sampling of pollutants. The poultry industry produces a large amount of feathers as waste, and, like other forms of keratin, are slow to decompose. Feather waste has been used in a number of industrial applications as a medium for culturing microbes, biodegradeable polymers, and production of enzymes. Feather proteins have been tried as an adhesive for wood board. The hunting of birds for decorative and ornamentatal feathers (including in Victorian fashion) has endangered some species. For instance, South American hummingbird feathers were used in the past to dress some of the miniature birds featured in singing bird boxes. In religion and culture Eagle feathers have great cultural and spiritual value to American Indians in the US and First Nations peoples in Canada as religious objects. In the United States the religious use of eagle and hawk feathers is governed by the eagle feather law, a federal law limiting the possession of eagle feathers to certified and enrolled members of federally recognized Native American tribes. In South America, brews made from the feathers of condors are used in traditional medications. In India, feathers of the Indian peacock have been used in traditional medicine for snakebite, infertility and coughs. During the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries a booming international trade in plumes, to satisfy market demand in North America and Europe for extravagant head-dresses as adornment for fashionable women, caused so much destruction (for example, to egret breeding colonies) that a major campaign against it by conservationists led to the Lacey Act and caused the fashion to change and the feather market to collapse. Frank Chapman noted in 1886 that as many as 40 species of birds were used in about three-fourths of the 700 ladies' hats that he observed in New York City.Doughty, Robin W. 197. Feather Fashions and Bird Preservation, A Study in Nature Protection. University of California Press.Ehrlich, Paul R.; Dobkin. David S.; Wheye. Darryl (1988) Plume Trade Stanford UniversityFeather trade Smithsonian Institution More recently, rooster plumage has become a popular trend as a hairstyle accessory, with feathers formerly used as fishing lures now being used to provide color and style to hair. Today, the use of feathers in fashion and in adorning regimental headresses and clothes makes use of a waste product of the farming of poultry birds, including chickens, geese, turkeys, pheasants and ostriches. Feathers used for these purposes are deliberately modified through dyeing and manipulation to enhance the appearance of these poultry feathers, as they are naturally often dull in appearance compared to the feathers of wild species which designers are attempting to mimic. The number of feather products manufacturers in Europe has decreased enormously in the last 60 years, mainly due to competition from Asia. One surviving company, Jaffe et fils, founded in 1946, formerly of London but now based in Axminster, Devon, is one of the last in Europe to dye and manufacture feather products for fashion, theatre, and military regalia. Feathers have adorned hats at many prestigious events such as weddings and Ladies Day at race courses(Royal Ascot). One milliner, Philip Treacy, has specialized in the use of feathers. He has created highly regarded hats notably for the Royal Family. One such was the hat was worn by Camilla, now the Duchess of Cornwall, on her marriage to Prince Charles. Voci correlate * Carnevale * Costumi da carnevale * Costumi del burlesque * Gothic * Penna bianca * Samba * Steampunk * Ventaglio * Ventaglio di piume Note Collegamenti esterni * * McGraw, K. J. 2005. Polly want a pigment? Cracking the chemical code to red coloration in parrots. Australian Birdkeeper Magazine 18:608–611. * DeMeo, Antonia M. [http://www.animallaw.info/articles/ar22hstclq771.htm Access to Eagles and Eagle Parts: Environmental Protection v. Native American Free Exercise of Religion (1995)] * [http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title50/50cfr22_main_02.tpl Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (e-CFR), Title 50: Wildlife and Fisheries PART 22—EAGLE PERMITS] * U.S. v. Thirty Eight Golden Eagles (1986) * Mechanical structure of feathers * Documentary on the evolution of feathers * Lecture notes on the avian integument * U.S. National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory's Feather Atlas * Federn.org Fonti (parziale) Categoria:Costumi Categoria:Strumenti del burlesque Categoria:Uccelli